Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas Conclusion

This is the final post in my Anti-Santaism series that started on October 21st. Here are the links to all of the previous posts if you missed them, or want them for your reference:

Series Introduction
The Beginning
Santa the Counterfeit Christ
What Santa Teaches
The Christmas Idol
Two Masters
Distraction
Saint Nicolas
Christmas Alternatives

I have pondered about a good way to conclude this series, and I the only real way to do that is to share the miracle of Christ. You see, I wrote this series simply to share my beliefs with you. However, I did not write it to judge you, your decisions, or to convert you to my beliefs. I simply wanted to share. I know that not all Christians celebrate Christ's birth, and some of them do so at a different time of year, and that's okay with me. Everyone has their own walk with God that they have to focus on. I can't walk yours, and you can't walk mine. God works in each of us on the things that He deems important. We cannot earn our way into heaven by the way we celebrate (or don't celebrate) Christ's birth. For the whole reason that Christ was born was because we are not capable of earning our Salvation. He came so that we could have the forgiveness that we could never possibly receive apart from the grace of God.

Because our inadequacy, God sent His one and only Son into the world. God incarnate came to us humbly on a cold, quiet night. The King of Israel was not born in a palace, but in a manger for there was no room available for Him. This precious baby, sleeping in a manger, was not visited by his closest relatives. He wasn't welcomed into the world with any of the things that we would normally bless a newborn baby with. No, His first visitors were shepherds, strangers to His family. While Kings did come from a faraway land to bestow gifts upon Him, soldiers were also sent to kill Him. So He lived in exile for a time.

When this precious baby boy grew up, He lived a life of scorn. All He wanted was to show us the way, but the religious leaders planned to kill Him. We sent Him to the cross with our unbelief, with our sin. Yet hanging there, moments from death, He prayed for our forgiveness, for that is the reason He came. He was born that night so long ago, to die for us. For me, and for you. That was His purpose. He came, so that we may be forgiven. His whole purpose here on this earth was to redeem our fallen souls. He came to earth so that we would not have to spend eternity in hell.

This is the reason that for me to celebrate anything else on the day set aside to as the day of His birth, would be wrong. He was born to die. How could I brush that off so that my children can have 'fun' with a lie? Where ever you are this Christmas season, I hope that you remember our Savior, the reason He was born, and the life that He lived for you.

Merry Christmas

No comments:

Post a Comment